1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to digital communications. More specifically, systems and methods for providing remote configuration of client premise equipment over ATM for use in technologies such as a digital subscriber line are disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
With growth of the Internet and increased desirability of telecommuting, there is an increasing demand for reliable, on-demand high-speed data access. One emerging technology is a connection-oriented packet network for providing a connection between a remote user and a destination. The connection-oriented packet network uses a Digital Subscriber Line (xe2x80x9cDSLxe2x80x9d) link to access the remote user premises.
Generally, a DSL link links a remote user, such as a client, to a customer, such as a corporation and Internet Service Providers (xe2x80x9cISPsxe2x80x9d). The client may be an employee of a customer corporation with the client premise being the home of the employee such that the employee is able to telecommute. The client may also be a small business having access to the Internet via a customer ISP. A client premise may be any other location that uses ordinary telephone system twisted copper pair wiring connections between the remote user and a telephone company central office (xe2x80x9cCOxe2x80x9d) to achieve data connection.
The telephone line from the CO to the remote user location is often referred to as xe2x80x9cthe last mile.xe2x80x9d DSL technology utilizes a line-coding scheme that allows very high-speed and affordable data access connections over this last mile of twisted copper wiring.
Various DSL technologies, referred to as xDSL technologies, have been implemented. Examples of DSL technologies include asymmetric DSL (xe2x80x9cADSLxe2x80x9d), symmetric DSL (xe2x80x9cSDSLxe2x80x9d), ISDN DSL (xe2x80x9cIDSLxe2x80x9d), rate adaptive DSL (xe2x80x9cRADSLxe2x80x9d), and very high-speed DSL (xe2x80x9cVDSLxe2x80x9d) technologies, for example.
Competitive local exchange carriers (xe2x80x9cCLECxe2x80x9d) may provide DSL service over twisted telephone copper pairs leased from an incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC), i.e. the local phone company in an area. The copper telephone pairs run from the ILEC""s CO to the client""s premise, e.g. a home or a business. At the client""s premises, a network interface device (xe2x80x9cNIDxe2x80x9d) connects the copper pairs to the inside wiring. The NID is typically on a side of a building of the client premise, in a garage, or in a service closet.
In addition, a DSL client premise equipment (xe2x80x9cCPExe2x80x9d) provides connection between the NID and a client""s computer. The CPE generally refers routers and bridges for connecting users to the DSL link. An example of a CPE is a Flowpoint(trademark) 144 provided by FlowPoint Corporation (Los Gatos, Calif.
Signals are delivered between the client""s computer and the CPE at the client premise and the CO via the DSL line over the telephone twisted copper pair wiring. CPEs are typically connected via the DSL line over asynchronous transfer mode (xe2x80x9cATMxe2x80x9d) virtual circuits (xe2x80x9cVCsxe2x80x9d). Examples of virtual circuits include a permanent virtual circuit (xe2x80x9cPVCxe2x80x9d), a soft or smart PVC (xe2x80x9cSPVCxe2x80x9d), and a switched virtual circuit (xe2x80x9cSVCxe2x80x9d).
A number of CO""s in a region may be connected to a CLEC regional switching center. The CLEC regional switching center is in turn connected to the corporate networks of the customers and/or the ISPs which are in turn connection to the Internet. The CLEC regional switching center is also connected to a CLEC network operations center (xe2x80x9cNOCxe2x80x9d) where the CLEC controls and manages the operations and connections of the CLEC regional switching center.
Establishing DSL services to a client premise typically involves both ILEC installation and CLEC installation. In particular, the ILEC installs the copper pair from the ILEC CO to the NID at the customer premise. The CLEC provides the customer with information the customer needs to configure a router or switch at the customer premise to handle the new client connection, such as a permanent virtual circuit (xe2x80x9cPVCxe2x80x9d), a virtual path/channel identifier (xe2x80x9cVPI/VCIxe2x80x9d) for ATM, or a data link connection identifier (xe2x80x9cDLCIxe2x80x9d) for frame relay. The customer may then configure the router prior to the CLEC installation such that an end-to-end network connectivity test may be performed during the CLEC installation at the client premise.
For the CLEC installation, a CLEC field service technician generally must physically go to the remote client""s premise. The CLEC installation sets up the inside, wiring from the NID to the computer at the client premise and sets up the DSL service from the client to the customer such as the customer ISP or the customer corporation. In particular, the CLEC field service technician using, for example, the field service technician""s laptop computer, may complete and/or verify inside wiring at the client""s premise, configure and install a DSL CPE, perform CLEC connectivity test, and/or perform an end-to-end customer network connectivity test. In addition, the CLEC field service technician may, if requested, notify the customer before beginning test and deliver customer-provided DSL information packet. The CLEC may then notify the customer of the completion of the installation.
As is evident, requiring a CLEC field service technician to physically go to the client premise is time consuming and not cost effective both for the CLEC and the client. Such a visit generally requires the client to be at the client premise during an appointed time frame in order to allow the CLEC field service technician access to the client premise. In addition, there may be periodic management activities, such as upgrades of and/or changes to software for the CPE and/or changes in the customer ISP or the customer corporation, that would also require the CLEC field service technician to again go to the client premise.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method for remote configuration and on-demand management of the CPE, such as over the DSL link using layer 2 ATM technology. Such a system and method would increase cost and time efficiency of establishing, managing, and maintaining the DSL link between a client and a customer.
Systems and methods for providing remote configuration and on-demand management of a CPE over DSL are disclosed. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device, a method, or a computer readable medium such as a computer readable storage medium or a computer network wherein program instructions are sent over optical or electronic communication lines. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
The method for providing remote configuration of a CPE, generally comprises creating a temporary management ATM virtual circuit between a remote Point-to-Point Protocol (xe2x80x9cPPPxe2x80x9d) server and the CPE via an ATM network, assigning a temporary Internet Protocol (xe2x80x9cIPxe2x80x9d) address to the CPE using PPP over ATM, telneting from the PPP server to the temporary IP address of the CPE, and downloading CPE configuration from the PPP server to the CPE. The creating, assigning, telneting, and downloading may be performed between the remote PPP server and a management port of the CPE.
The method may also include sending a reboot signal from the PPP server to the CPE after the downloading, disenabling the temporary management ATM virtual circuit after the downloading and/or verifying connectivity after the downloading by pinging to the CPE and awaiting a response. The downloading may include downloading initial CPE configuration software, which may include a permanent assigned CPE IP address. The downloaded CPE configuration may be upgrade CPE configuration software, troubleshooting CPE software, CPE configuration feature activation software, CPE configuration feature deactivation software, and/or CPE target change software. The temporary management ATM virtual circuit may be a permanent virtual circuit or a switch virtual circuit.
The system for providing remote configuration of a CPE generally comprises a remote PPP server, a CPE including a management port adapted to send requests for connection to the PPP server and to receive data downloaded from the PPP server, and a temporary management ATM virtual circuit between the PPP server and the management port of the CPE.